Sandra’s fight for her son’s eczema and the path through gut health

Sandra is the mother of a boy born in 2021. When he was around six months old, the first “classic” eczema patches appeared.

“At first, it was small red, dry areas. Then it spread – his forearms were badly affected, he became red around his mouth when he ate, and then rashes appeared behind his knees, on his chest, and on his stomach… I felt this wasn’t just a bit of dry skin.”

At the child health clinic, they were given the standard advice: apply topical steroids and emollients like Miniderm. But every time they applied the creams, her son screamed – they stung. At the same time, daily life became increasingly restricted. The itching took over the nights, and he would scratch himself until he bled, which meant they constantly had to watch him, wrap his skin, and stay alert.

“We couldn’t leave him alone on the sofa while we were in the kitchen. Someone always had to ‘watch’ him so he wouldn’t scratch his wounds open.”

Everyday situations, like sitting on the potty or riding in the car, became a struggle, as he would quickly start scratching behind his knees.

Not being taken seriously

Sandra comes from a more holistic perspective herself. As a young adult, she had struggled with digestive issues and pollen allergies and had experienced how much diet could affect the body. When her son developed eczema, she immediately felt she needed to understand why.

“I was already convinced that health can be influenced from within. When my son developed eczema, I felt straight away: we need to find the root cause, not just apply creams.”

She pushed for an allergy assessment. The tests showed an egg allergy, and removing egg brought some relief – the large, dry patches improved. But despite this, her son continued to have unclear reactions at mealtimes, and his skin remained unpredictable, with recurring flare-ups.

She began eliminating more foods, kept a detailed food diary, replaced kitchen utensils, and sought support in Facebook groups where other parents described similar patterns.

At the same time, contact with healthcare became increasingly exhausting. She had to switch doctors several times, received conflicting advice, and had to push to obtain documentation for preschool.

“I saw in his medical record that a doctor had written: ‘The mother claims this is about quality of life.’ As if that were something strange.”

At times, preschool became yet another battle. Of course, they couldn’t monitor him to the extent he needed. One term, he only attended for thirty days.

“I work from home, but working full-time while constantly supervising a child with severe itching… it’s impossible.”

Eczema controlled everything

The eczema affected absolutely everything. Almost every night was interrupted by itching, crying, and bandages coming loose. Every activity – bathing, going out in cold weather, or simply going somewhere – became a calculation of risks and consequences.

Eventually, Sandra’s own wellbeing was deeply affected. She describes needing therapy herself and how the stress left lasting marks.

“Every step we take in life revolves around my son’s skin. I’m always one step ahead… eventually, it breaks you.”

She especially remembers one occasion when she tried to take care of herself and went for a massage. When she came out, she had ten missed calls. During that short time, her son had scratched the backs of his knees until they were bleeding – areas they had worked so hard to heal – simply because her partner had listened when their son said he wanted to be alone for a moment while sitting on the potty.

“I was on edge all the time. The moment I saw the slightest warning sign, my nervous system went into overdrive.”